830 



TENNESSEE. 



crease has been in the cantons of Basel City, 

 Uri, Zug, Neufchatel, and Geneva. The canton 

 of Aargau has gradually decreased in popula- 

 tion since 1840. Political refugees from Ger- 

 many form the principal part of the increment 

 in the population of Basel, which has grown 

 from 29,555 inhabitants in 1850 to 64,207 in 

 1880. The growth of Geneva from 63,000 in 

 1850 to 99,000 is in like manner attributable 

 mainly to the immigration of political exiles 

 from France ; many have taken advantage of 

 the amnesty laws and recently returned to 

 France, but very many families have formed 

 attachments which unite them permanently to 

 their new home, or are deterred from return- 

 ing by the compulsory military service now 

 exacted in France. The French population of 

 Geneva is about 30,000. The population of 

 the cantons of Zug and Uri has been swelled 

 by the influx of workmen employed on the St. 

 Gothard Eailway. The annual rate of increase 

 in Switzerland for thirty years has been 5'5 per 

 1,000, and was somewhat greater in the latter 

 half of the period than in the first half. Only 

 three European countries show a slower rate 

 of increase, namely, Bavaria, where the annual 

 increment was 5*4 per 1,000 inhabitants; Ire- 

 land, where it was 4'6 ; and France, where it 

 was 2'3. The natural growth of the popula- 

 tion was greater than the actual increase, the 

 excess of births over deaths in the ten years 



having been 200,828, and the actual increase, 

 as determined by the census, 176,786, indicat- 

 ing a net loss by emigration during the decade 

 of 24,112. The real loss was, however, not so 

 great, as numbers of Bourbaki's soldiers and 

 other temporary refugees from France were 

 included in the census of 1870. 



The emigration from Switzerland to other 

 than European countries in 1880 numbered 

 7,255 persons, as against 4,288 in 1879. The 

 emigrants to the United States were 5,792 in 

 number. Of the total number, 1,829 were mar- 

 ried, 3,704 single adults, and 1,722 under six- 

 teen years of age. 



The village of Elm, in Glarus, was over- 

 whelmed by a land-slip in the night of Septem- 

 ber llth. About two hundred persons were 

 buried beneath masses of rock and earth which 

 were loosened from the Tschingel Alp over- 

 hanging the village, by the action of heavy 

 rains.* The land of the valley, which was cul- 

 tivated by the peasants of the village, was buried 

 by the avalanche. Fragments of rock were 

 projected for a distance of three miles. Two 

 slips occurred with a brief interval between 

 them, the first carrying away the portion of 

 the village called Unterthal, and the second 

 destroying a great part of the main village. 

 The weight of the mass, which was precipi- 

 tated 2,000 feet, was estimated at between 300,- 

 000 and 400,000 tons. 



T 



TENNESSEE. The presidential vote in 

 1880 was as follows : For the Garfield electors, 

 107,677; Hancock electors, 128,191; Weaver, 

 5,917; Dow, 43. The Legislature chosen at 

 that election consisted of 15 Democrats and 10 

 Republicans in the Senate, and in the House 

 of 36 Democrats, 37 Republicans, and one 

 Greenbacker, with one vacancy, which was sub- 

 sequently filled by a Republican. The Demo- 

 crats were divided on the debt question into 

 " State-credit " and " Low-tax " Democrats.. 

 The Republicans were in sympathy with the 

 former. This body met on the 3d of January, 

 1881, and remained in session until the 7th of 

 April. The first ballot for United States Sen- 

 ator was taken on the 18th of January, as fol- 

 lows : For Horace Maynard, Republican, 41 ; 

 John H. Savage, Democrat, 23 ; James E. Bai- 

 ley, Democrat, 22 ; scattering, 14. The contest 

 was prolonged until the 26th of January, when, 

 on the thirtieth ballot, Howell E. Jackson, 

 Democrat, was elected by a vote of 70 to 24 

 for Maynard, and 4 scattering. 



The most important subject under consider- 

 ation by the Legislature was the State debt. 



Various bills were introduced providing for 

 a settlement, but, before final action was taken 

 on any of these, a committee, acting in behalf 

 of nearly three hundred holders of the State 

 bonds, proposed a compromise, which was trans- 



mitted to the Legislature by the Governor, 

 with a recommendation that it be accepted. 

 The proposition was in the following terms : 



The bonds and interest coupons thereof, up to and 

 including the one due July 1, 1881, to be capitalized, 

 and new compromise bonds of the State to be issued 

 therefor, bearing date July 1, 1881, payable ninety- 

 nine years thereafter (but redeemable at any time 

 after five years at the pleasure of the State), with in- 

 terest at the rate of three per centum per annum, 

 payable semi-annually in New York, on the first days 

 of January and July in each year ; and the coupons 

 for the said interest on the said compromise bonds to 

 be made receivable, at and after maturity, for all 

 taxes and debts due to the State of Tennessee. 



On the 5th of April an act embodying this 

 proposition was passed by the Senate by a vote 

 of thirteen to twelve, having previously passed 

 the House. The following are the essential 

 portions of this act : 



SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly 

 of the State of Tennessee, That all the legally issued 



* Elm was situated in the Sernft Talley at the foot of the 

 Laaxer and Stoekli glaciers, and at the highest point of the 

 pass between Glarus and the valley of the Vorder Khein. 

 The Freiberge Mountains rise above the town to the height 

 of 9,000 feet. The Tschingel Mountain is composed of argil- 

 laceous schist, and had long been considered as dangerous. 

 Slate-quarrying on the mountain and numerous shocks of 

 earthquake in the preceding twelve months had rendered it 

 more liable to rupture than ever before. The village con- 

 tained about 1,000 inhabitants, mostly thriving farmers and 

 quarrymen and their families. 



